one juicy peach
by still.fly
Summary: "You could be the juiciest peach there is," Bakugou said as he munched on his fries, "But some bastard out there is still gonna hate peaches."
1. one juicy peach

As a lot of maddening things in her life begin, it started with misogynistic fanboys—offended in the name of all the boy heroes out there being shit on by the feminists and all of the female pro heroes collectively. And individually. Apparently.

Yeah, what a load of shit.

Ochako wasn't one to sift through YouTube comments, and she _definitely_ wasn't one to sift through YouTube comments that were about _her_. But the temptation to look at what was being said, about her and emblematically about all female rescue-focused pros like her, was eating away at her brain. Kaminari had only mentioned it in _passing_ at the end of the day when they were both logging in daily reports at the agency they both worked at.

" _Are you pissed about all the heat you're getting right now?_ " He had asked as they each waited their turn at the copy machine.

Confused as to what she could have possibly done to be getting heat, she had answered honestly and told him that she hadn't had a clue what he was even talking about.

" _That rescue last week?"_ He had continued, " _The one where you teamed up with Bakugou? "Cause I'm a little pissed about it. You don't deserve any of the shit they're saying._ "

A villain had knocked down an entire building not too far from where she lived—and she also happened to live within the borders of Bakugou's patrol. When she had arrived onto the scene, Bakugou had already engaged the villain so as to hinder him from doing any more damage. He had yelled at her to focus on the building—an office space that had exploded into the streets. And it had thankfully been after quitting time so that everyone had left, making the casualty list small if there were any deaths to report at all.

Uraraka had cleared out all the debris that was blocking civilians from falling back, and once she finished up with that she jumped into the fight at Bakugou's side. He barked at her to get her hands on the villain so that she could activate her quirk on him, and once she did it was easy to get the finishing move.

 _Apparently_ , a buncha fuckboys were upset that she took the finishing move from Ground Zero when he obviously did _all the work_ to weaken the villain. Forget about evacuating civilians, arguably one of the most important parts about being a goddamned _hero_.

Ochako growled, sitting up in bed and grabbing her phone from off her nightstand—she still couldn't afford to upgrade to a smartphone, and the soft sound of her clicking through her contacts filled the dark of her room.

She brought her phone to her ear, too irritated to feel bad to be calling so late. Knowing Deku, however, he was probably still awake.

"Hello?" Deku's voice answered, clear and awake despite it being close to two in the morning.

"Deku," Ochako greeted shortly, "You want to know what makes me mad?"

"What?" Izuku humored. As someone well-versed in Ochako's tendency to rant about the injustices in the world, Deku knew it would just be best to let her get it all out before offering any input.

"I'm smart," She started, glaring up at her ceiling, "I'm _strong_. I can kick _anybody's_ ass."

"Uh huh."

"I focus on rescue not because I can't fight," She continued vehemently, "But because it makes more _sense_. Why let the dude with the explosion quirk pick up the rubble when you've got an _anti-gravity_ quirk that will do that job a million times faster? It _just makes sense_."

A sigh. "What did Kacchan do now?"

" _Nothing_. If he wanted to make the final blow, he very well _could_ have." She grunted in exasperation, "Can you—just look up that stupid fucking clip of me and him from last week and tell me the fuckboys in the comments are stupid, please? Validation would be _awesome_ right about now."

"You're _pissed_ ," Izuku noted, "But yeah, I got you."

There was a moment of silence while Deku got to the clip and read through the comments. On occasion, Ochako would hear him scoff and snort.

"The fuckboys in the comments are stupid, Ochako," Izuku told her firmly, " _Uravity_ _is a trick bitch, Ground Zero totally deserved that victory_. Whatever! That's not even the point of being a hero! Besides, Kacchan could have done the honors if he really felt like it was necessary—"

" _Yes!"_ Ochako interrupted, "Exactly. _Thank you_."

Izuku hummed, presumably still scrolling through forbidden YouTube comments, "Hey listen to this one: _Ground Zero's career is already set. Who even cares about som hoe stilling—_ wow, learn to spell people— _his vilane? He obvs let her."_

"Let—" Ochako screeched, " _Let me?!"_

Izuku snorted, "Kacchan hasn't ever _let_ anyone do anything."

" _Let_ me?"

"Oh my god," Izuku breathed, sounding a little like he couldn't believe his own eyes.

"What?" Ochako inquired, feeling pushy.

"Kacchan commented on the video," Izuku answered, "Holy fuck."

"What?" Ochako repeated, "What did he say?"

"I seriously can't believe my eyes."

" _Izukuuuuu_ ," She whined.

"Alright, alright," Izuku placated, "You want me to read it to you? It's kind of long?"

"Read it already!"

"Hookay, here goes," Izuku said, sucking in a long breath, " _What the fuck is even wrong with you ignorant shits?"_ Izuku's impersonation of Bakugou was terrifyingly accurate. _"Uravity didn't steal jack shit from me—what kind of backwards idea even is that, hah? We're not fucking with villains just to get views on the internet—we're risking our necks to save people's lives and Uravity is one of the best at doing that shit. She may focus on rescue, but she could kick anyone's ass. Step outside of your motherfucking caves, dipshits. Stop calling yourselves my biggest fans if you're just going to shit on rescue heroes all the motherfucking time."_

"Ever so eloquent, Bakugou," Ochako hummed, the words Izuku read _actually_ relaxing her tense muscles.

"Oh, but he sure does get his point across," Deku chuckled, "You still mad?"

"Not as much," Ochako admitted, sinking back into her pillows.

"You're only mad now because you wanted to be the one to put them in their place, huh?" Izuku sounded like he was smiling.

Ochako sighed, "You know me too well."

* * *

"You look like you need to shit," A voice announced from behind her, causing her to startle. Before she could react further, the chair directly in front of her at her table was scraping against the tiled floor and none other than Bakugou Katsuki was sitting in front of her with a burger and an order of fries. She glared down at his meal, at the way the muscles of his arms moved underneath his skin as he reached out to begin eating. She glared at his stupid tank top and how he seemed to keep his physique almost effortlessly and how he probably never felt self-conscious about his body.

She pouted angrily, pressing the lock button on her tablet—it had been a gift from Todoroki on her birthday. But right now it felt more like a curse helping her access stupid articles about the stupid imperfections about her body written by stupid people who have nothing better to do than criticize women.

"Oi, round face," Bakugou growled, irritated that she was ignoring him.

"Don't call me that," Ochako snapped, stabbing her salad angrily and successfully ignoring the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

Bakugou's eyebrows rose behind his hairline, "What crawled up your ass today?"

"What are you even doing here, Bakugou?" Ochako redirected.

"Getting dinner," He answered, "And then I saw your sorry ass glaring at a harmless bowl of salad like it personally offended you. Why're you eating that shit, anyways?"

"Like _you're_ one to talk," Ochako scoffed, gesturing towards his burger.

"What?" Katsuki asked innocently, "I can eat junk every now and again."

"Lucky _you_."

Bakugou smirked, taking a bite out of his burger and leaning back slightly in his seat to regard her. She tried her best to ignore the intensity of his gaze, but something about the gleam in his red eyes made her think that he knew exactly what had her so pissy.

"You know," He drawled, pointing at her with a french fry, "I'm an asshole who usually deserves getting chewed out—but I can't think of a single thing I've done to set you off like this." He twirled the fry between them, a gesture towards the two of them sitting here together at this tiny little deli a couple of blocks away from her apartment, "One could say that _you're_ the asshole in this scenario."

"Are you _trying_ to piss me off?" Ochako inquired, glaring at him.

"I'm trying to get you out of your head, pink cheeks," Katsuki answered, adjusting his usual nickname for her shrewdly.

" _Why?_ " She questioned.

"Want a fry?" He asked instead of answering her question, holding one out to her with a challenge in his eyes. She wacked his hand away and he lost his grip on the fry. It dropped onto the ground next to them and Katsuki's mouth stretched across his face in a wolfish smirk. "You know, you're hot when you're angry."

Ochako scoffed, but he didn't miss the blush spreading across her face.

"You think I'm lying?" He scoffed right back, "Don't insult me."

"Whatever," She said, stabbing her salad again and glaring down at the impaled greens, "I know that the tabloids are full of shit and that my body image isn't what defines me as a person, but it still _stings_."

"You could be the juiciest peach there is," Bakugou said as he munched on his fries, "But some bastard out there is still gonna hate peaches."

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm still insecure about it!"

"Want me to show you why you should take those insecurities and shit on them?" Bakugou inquired, licking his lips before opening his mouth wide to bite into his burger. Ochako's eyes were glued onto the way his jaw worked as he chewed, and then her gaze trailed down to his throat when he swallowed. "You'll feel like a fuckin' _queen_ when I'm done with you."

"What the hell are you even suggesting?" Ochako asked, flicking her eyes back to his red ones.

Bakugou grinned.

* * *

That's how she found herself pressed against her own front door, Bakugou's warm body grinding against hers as he worked on getting her off before they even had a chance to undress one another. He had one of her legs hiked up around his waist, his strong fingers digging into the flesh of her upper thigh while his other hand was busy sneaking under her shirt to grope at her chest. Their lips were connected, hot and wet as they breathed into each other. She tasted like balsamic vinegar, and he tasted like onions but neither one of them seemed to care.

"Damn, Uraraka," He breathed, breaking their kiss with a wet smacking sound at the same time he squeezed one of her breasts and jiggled it appreciatively. Ochako wasn't sure how he was focusing so well on that while also rubbing his hard on so deliciously against her core, but she certainly wasn't snuffing his multitasking capabilities.

His lips travelled to her neck, and all of the sensations he was raining down on her body were sending her reeling towards the edge. She whimpered, letting herself lean back against the wall as he worked her—the firm press of his body was the only thing keeping her upright.

"You gonna come for me?" Bakugou's voice whispered right in her ear, his breath fanning against her neck.

Ochako nodded, biting her lip in a vain attempt to silence her moans and quickened breathing.

"Look at you," He continued, pulling his head back and slowing down his grinding motions much to her chagrin. He grinned at the frustrated growl that escaped through her lips almost involuntarily, and pushed forward to capture her bottom lip between his teeth. He tugged on it before letting it go teasingly. "You're a fuckin' dream come true lookin' at me like that," He said, before returning to rutting against her with gusto.

"Shit," She gasped, as he set to a rhythm that had her going _crazy_. The friction was perfect, even between their layers of clothing. She threw her head back as she hit her climax, twitching in his hold and breathing out his name.

Before she could even blink, she was being hoisted up over his shoulder with a grunt from him and a squeak from her.

"Where's your bedroom?" He inquired gruffly, his hand patting her ass.

"Door on the left," She answered, dazed and tingly from her orgasm. His question reminded her how _insane_ this was—letting him do what he wanted with her on a _whim_. It's not like they've been great at keeping in contact after graduating high school, and what little interaction they do have revolves around hero work. They weren't dating. He didn't even know where her bedroom was. She _definitely_ shouldn't be doing this with him. Despite this train of thought, she didn't say a thing as he stomped his way into her room and flicked the light on.

The way he playfully tossed her onto her bed was not something she had anticipated, but she _liked_ it. She's always thought she had to be a seductress in bed to make up for her imperfect body—be coy at times but confident at others so as to seem like she knew what she was doing even though she didn't always.

But Bakugou was so brazenly himself. It made her feel like she could be herself too and still be wanted.

He paused in front of the bed, hands crossed at the hem of his shirt. She watched with rapt attention as he lifted it above his head and tossed it away, revealing his muscled torso for her viewing pleasure. Ochako has always wanted to get her hands on those abs, but she never actually considered it something that could realistically happen.

As she was musing over his hipbones, he was crawling onto the bed with her. He forced himself between her legs and sat back on his calves, towering over her with heady eyes.

"Shirt off," He ordered, hands reaching out to grip her hips and give them a squeeze.

"You're bossy," She snapped, wanting to take attention away from how nervous she was. This was the part that always made her want to hide.

"I'm also really impatient," He retorted, slapping her upper thigh to emphasize his point.

She rolled her eyes but sat up enough to pull her shirt over her head. She resisted the urge to cross her arms over her stomach, knowing that Bakugou would have something to say about it. Instead, she avoided eye contact so that she wouldn't have to meet whatever judgment lay beyond his red gaze.

There was a long moment where neither one of them did anything, and it was long enough for her to second guess everything. But just as that thought crossed her mind, Bakugou's large hands were on both of her breasts. He kneaded them for a moment, pushing them together and away from each other intermittently and humming at the image she made. Then one of his hands crept behind her towards the clasp of her bra. The straps fell off her shoulders, and the only thing keeping her modest was her arms pressed against her sides, trapping each side of her bra and keeping it in place. Bakugou tugged on the article of clothing and then they were both sitting in front of each other half naked.

"Damn," Bakugou muttered over her tits for the second time that night, diving down to suck one of her nipples into his mouth without any fanfare. She moaned—he put his back into everything he ever did, but his passion in this regard was making desire burn hot within her. He kept his eyes on her as he lavished his attention on her nipple, alternating between flicking the nub with his tongue and wrapping his entire mouth around it. The image itself was making arousal pool at her groin, not to mention how _good_ it felt.

When he felt satisfied with her hardened nipple, he turned to the other one to give it some attention. He swirled his tongue around it, smirking whenever she'd sigh as he did something particularly nice with his mouth. He popped off her breast when he got a loud moan out of her.

"You're sexy as hell, round face," He declared, his tongue sneaking out of his mouth to draw a long line down the middle of her chest. He trailed over to her neck, sucking on her skin to elicit more moans from her, "Fuck. Keep making those noises."

Ochako huffed, loving all of the attention but also wanting to make him feel good. She reached out, tentatively placing a hand over his abs and sighing at the way they tensed under her touch. Bakugou was pure muscle—he always had been ever since she first met him—and she's always thought that the blonde was attractive. But she never entertained the possibility of that being _reciprocated._

She trailed her hand up his torso, biting her lip nervously before pinching a nipple. He twitched, pressing closer to her with a hot groan against her neck. Ochako could feel the hard length of his arousal pressing hot into her core so she snapped her hips up against him to see what he'd do in retaliation.

"Fuck," He said, stealing the word right from Ochako's mouth.

"What," She squealed, as Bakugou crawled down her body until his face was inches away from her clothed crotch, "What are you doing?!"

"Gonna eat you out," He stated like it was obvious. He undid the button on her shorts and tugged them down to her ankles, returning to admire the wet patch that was obvious on her panties. Ochako was mortified that he was staring at her so shamelessly—embarrassed that she was so obviously turned on.

Bakugou looked up at her and paused when he took in her wide eyes.

"Have you ever been eaten out before?" He asked gruffly.

Ochako shook her head, face red.

"What the fuck," He said, "You must've been with some real douchebags, then."

"I guess," Ochako shrugged, shutting her thighs as much as she could with him laying between her legs. Strong hands stopped her, prying her thighs apart.

"It'll feel real good, cheeks," He vowed, "And I did promise to make you feel like a fuckin' queen—can't believe anyone would pass up the opportunity to have their face between these thighs, ta be honest." Bakugou grinned, turning his head to the side to plant a kiss on her thigh in question and—shit, that _did_ kind of make her feel like a queen and he hasn't even met his target.

"May I?" He asked politely, even if the smirk on his face kind of ruined it. He slid his fingers up until they were dipping into the sides of her panties on either side of her hips, and she figured why the hell not?

"Please," She said, lifting her hips so that he could yank her underwear off. She kicked them to the side along with her shorts and waited with bated breath as he took in her naked pussy. He drew a squeak out of her when he pulled his tongue up from her entrance all the way up her folds. He smiled and huffed against her, and then pressed forward until the entire bottom of his face was practically glued to her skin, lapping up her juices and bringing her closer and closer to the edge.

Her back arched, and her hands flew to his hair. The sensation of his tongue on her was more intense than anything she'd ever felt in her life, and her hips snapped up into his face before she could stop herself. She bit her lip, an apology on her tongue. She cut herself off before she could even say anything as he groaned at the action, pressing even harder into her core.

"Fucking use me, Uraraka," He demanded, shaking his head from side to side on her labia with his tongue sticking out and dragging a mewl out of her lips, "That's so fucking hot."

"You've got a—hah!" He zeroed in on her clit, swirling his tongue around it as her hips set into a rhythm against him, "—a dirty mouth."

He pulled back with a raised eyebrow, "Are you really surprised?"

"No, just—fuck," She panted, his mouth coming back to suck on her clit, " _That's_ hot."

His hand replaced his mouth in an instant, keeping up that delicious friction so that he could open up his mouth to tell her all the dirty things on his mind.

"You like that, huh?" He inquired lazily, the hand not circling her mound creeping forward toward her entrance. A finger slid inside without resistance, pressing against her walls, "Bet you'd go crazy if I told you how long I've dreamt of this—of being between your beautiful thighs and getting you fucking _dripping_ just so I can lap it up like I'm your hungry bitch." Then he ducked down to do just that, shoving his tongue into her hole along side his finger.

" _Shit!_ " She gasped, bucking up into his mouth. The hand on her clit was relentless, taking her close to the edge for the second time. She _was_ dripping, and it was getting all over Bakugou's face. He didn't seem to mind, eagerly eating up her juices as he shoved his tongue in and out of her. The stimulation was too much, the picture he made between her legs was too much, and she was tipping over her limit with a pleasured cry and his name on her lips. He worked her through it, not letting up on her swollen clit until she was knocking his hands away.

"Think you can get off one more time, cheeks?" He asked as he pulled away from her pussy, wiping her juices from his face with the back of his hand.

The back of her head hit her pillow.

"I think you might actually kill me, Bakugou," She sighed, reveling in her post-coital bliss.

"Uh huh," He murmured, climbing up her body, "And _I_ think that if I don't get my dick inside of you fuckin' _stat_ I might actually explode."

"Condoms are in the drawer of my nightstand." Ochako brought a hand up to the hairs on the back of his neck, sliding her hand down his back as he leaned forward to rummage through said drawer. He handed her the condom a second later. There was a moment where he fumbled with his pants, and Ochako had to stifle a giggle when he growled to himself as they got caught somewhere near his knees. He kicked them off aggressively as she tore through the wrapping on the condom, and then she handed it over to him.

She realized belatedly that Bakugou Katsuki was now as naked as she was, and that he was rolling on a condom so that he could fuck her senseless. She only had a second for her eyes to rake in his cock as he was lining it up to her entrance. Of course he had to have one of the biggest dicks she's ever seen, he had to be number one in _everything_ , didn't he? She didn't have long to ponder over the irony before he was pushing forward and filling her up.

" _Fuck_ ," She gasped, squeezing around him as he bottomed out.

"Fuck," He echoed, hooking his hands on the underside of her knees and folding her legs up so that he could reach even further inside of her. She was so wet from his previous ministrations, and when he gave an experimental thrust into her it was accompanied with a lewd squelching sound that would have made her embarrassed had she been in her right mind.

"Your pussy is sucking me in," He growled, pulling out to the tip and thrusting forward with more purpose. His eyes were glued to their hips, watching with captivated eyes as his length kept disappearing in and out of her heat—she clenched around him, pulling a moan from his throat, "You feel so fuckin' amazing, Uraraka."

Ochako wasn't sure why those particular words had her blushing almost innocently, especially when his proclamation was followed by a steady rhythm that had her seeing stars. Maybe it was how honest he was being. Maybe it was because she's never actually felt _wanted_ in bed before.

Whatever the reason, it had her on cloud nine and she was already approaching her third orgasm.

"Faster," She commanded, meeting his thrusts as best as she could while seeking out his lips. He met her halfway, shoving his tongue in her mouth as he picked up the pace—he was fucking her mouth with his tongue as he fucked her greedy hole with his dick. Ochako was seeing stars.

The pleasure was building for both of them, and they pulled away from each other's mouths as it became too hard to multitask. Bakugou's hand drew hers away from his chest, and he intertwined their fingers and pressed their joined hands into the sheets of her mattress. It was a sentimental action, one that Uraraka hadn't expected of him.

"Oh _shit_ ," He groaned, his other arm that was holding himself up reached up to entangle his fingers in her hair. He tugged hard enough to pull a high-pitched moan out of her and bit into the meat of her shoulder at the same time. His teeth sunk into her skin, and she scratched her nails down his back in retaliation.

"You're so _wet_ for me," He growled into her skin, "Fuck. You—hah—close?"

She couldn't form words; she could only nod desperately.

That must have boosted his ego enough for him to speed up even more, sending her over the edge of the fucking mountain they had climbed together. Her body convulsed underneath his, and she clasped his poor hand to death as he rocked her through another orgasm. She squeezed around him, her body wanting to keep him inside of her, and that was what ended him. His thrusts stuttered as he climaxed, shooting his load into the condom and catching her mouth in a bruising kiss. He let go of her legs and they fell on either side of him.

They traded sloppy kisses as they both came down from their highs. Bakugou was pressed against her, trapping her between him and the bed, and it was a solid minute before he finally pulled out to dispose of the condom. Ochako let him go begrudgingly as he stood up to drop it in her waste basket.

She pouted, supposing that this was the part where he left and never spoke to her again unless it had something to do with work.

"Scoot over," He barked from the door, flicking the light off.

Ochako blinked, making room on her twin bed in a daze. He crossed the room in the dark, cursing when he knocked his knees into the side of her bed. She couldn't hold back her giggle at that, and a moment later his hair was smothering her as he smashed his face into her neck.

"What's so fuckin' funny?" He growled against her skin, his strong arms sneaking underneath and around her. She squeaked, because they were both still _naked_ —but he paid her no mind and simply pulled the sheets over the both of them.

"Nothin'," She laughed.

"Whatever," Bakugou snorted.

Ochako threw a tentative arm around Bakugou, making sure to curl her fingers into a fist so as to not accidently activate her quirk on him in their sleep. She closed her eyes, finding comfort in the heat radiating from off his body.

"Hey, cheeks," Bakugou grumbled after a while.

"Hmm?" She hummed, feeling sleepy.

"Go out with me."

Ochako's eyes shot open.

"Eh?" Her cheeks were flaming, and he could probably feel it in the little space between them, "Aren't you doing things a little backwards!?"

"Just answer the question!" He growled, pushing his forehead against hers in irritation.

"You didn't _ask_ me a question," She deadpanned.

He huffed, reminding her of a resigned dog, " _Will_ you go out with me?"

Ochako rolled her eyes, digging her nails into his back, "Why should I, Bakugou? Yeah, we just fucked and it was great—but you spent the night admiring my body and not once did you tell me what you like about _me_."

"Fuck that," He barked, "I've done nothing but admire _you_ since high school. Are you really telling me that you expect some grandiose confession from me? _Me?_ Do you know me?"

"If I'm going to date you," She growled, a terrifying smile on her face that even had Bakugou gulping, although he would say later that the dark made it look more scary than it actually was, "Then a confession is _exactly_ what I expect from you."

Katsuki groaned.

" _This_ is what I like about you, cheeks," He growled reluctantly, "You're passionate about the shit you believe in and it makes you strong. What else could you want me to fuckin' say? That I've had a big ass crush on you since our second year at U.A.?"

"That's certainly a good place to start," She said, softening at his confession and knowing that it was probably hard for him to admit even that much, "You can tell me more when you make me dinner tomorrow night." Her sharp hold on his back trailed up to his hair so that she could softly rake her fingers through blonde hair, "…and just so we're on the same page…" She added shyly, "I really admire you, too."

"Great," He sighed, resting his hand on her ass like the gentleman he wasn't, "Now go to sleep."

"It's only nine," She grumbled, "Shouldn't we shower or something?"

"In th'morning," He slurred, already falling asleep.

"You're an old man," Ochako harrumphed to the darkness, although her heart was beating wildly at the idea of sharing her shower with Bakugou.

* * *

She woke to an empty space beside her and the distinct smell of eggs and bacon wafting into her room from the kitchen. She sat up, the sheets falling off her chest and exposing her to the air. She shivered and got up, picking up Bakugou's discarded shirt from last night and pulling it over her head. She glimpsed at her clock and pouted when she saw that it wasn't even seven o'clock and walked out of her room grumbling about going to bed way too early.

Bakugou was at her kitchen stove, flipping eggs with a flick of his wrist like it was nothing. He was wearing his boxers from yesterday and her obnoxious floral apron she never used herself and his hair was even more explosive than what she was used to seeing.

She stretched as she walked over to him, and then peeked over his shoulder to watch him work—she had always been amazed by his skills in the kitchen.

"Smells good," She said, trudging past him to the fridge, "Want orange juice?"

"Sure," He grunted.

She hummed, heading towards her small dining table with the OJ in hand. He stopped her as she was passing him with a large hand on her shoulder. He stooped down to steal a kiss from her shocked lips and pulled back with a smirk, turning back to the stove.

"You look damn good in my shirt," He observed with pride, and then much more casually: "Good morning."

"G-good morning!" She squealed, rushing over to the table with a flaming face, "I'll…set the table!" She's never set the table in her entire life.

She bustled around the kitchen, grabbing plates and utensils. Her only cups were her extensive collection of mismatching mugs—she pulled out the nicest ones she could find and put them on the table. By the time she was pulling out a stack of paper napkins from her pantry, he was placing the pans of eggs and bacon on her oven mitts on the table. There was a _pop_ behind her as she made her way over to the table with the napkins, startling her.

"Toast," Bakugou offered as an explanation, shuffling over to where he'd seen her grab the plates and piling the toast onto it. Ochako walked to the fridge and pulled the jelly out of it and grabbed a butter knife out of the utensil drawer.

It was all very domestic.

When they both sat across from each other—he was still wearing that ridiculous apron—they were uncomfortably reserved. At least, that's how she felt about it all. Who knew what the fuck was going on in Bakugou's head?

After two solid minutes of them munching on their breakfast quietly, Ochako broke.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, pointing her fork at him, "How do you expect me to date you if you can't even make conversation, Bakugou!?"

Bakugou growled, hand tensing around a forkful of eggs, "Do we _need_ to make conversation to make a relationship work?"

"Yes!" Ochako scoffed.

"No, I—fuck," Bakugou stuffed the eggs in his mouth and swallowed, "I meant—don't you like it when you don't _need_ to make conversation? Like…you can just _be_ and do it in someone else's company without talking about useless shit because your relationship is that secure that you don't _need_ to talk about useless shit?"

Okay…that was profound.

And was he saying that he felt that way with her…already?

Uraraka sighed, "Yes, Bakugou. That does sound nice. But can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me we're at the point where we can do that?" She pushed her eggs around on her plate, "The useless shit isn't _totally_ useless, you know."

"Do tell," He deadpanned, munching into a piece of bacon.

"Well," She said, "That's how you break the ice! You gotta ask people about their favorite color, their favorite shows, their favorite whatevers before getting to the deep stuff. Or even the funny stuff, sometimes—"

"You're favorite color is pink," He interrupted resolutely, "You don't watch a lot of television because it costs extra money, but you like action movies with a good plot twist and beefy dude protagonists. You consider Deku, Glasses and Frog chick to be your best friends, but you get along well with pretty much everyone as long as they're not _complete_ assholes. You like martial arts and proving why people shouldn't underestimate you. You've got a sweet tooth the size of my ego, and—" He sent her a cheeky grin with half-lidded eyes, "—you lose the ability to form words when you're getting fucked just right."

Ochako shut her gaping mouth. She pushed away the pool of heat that last one brought to her stomach.

"I could go on, you know. We went to school together for three fucking years," Bakugou continued, rolling his eyes at her dumb expression, "I caught onto a thing or two about all of our shitty classmates, especially after we all moved into the dorms. So _please_ don't make me suffer through any of that small talk bullshit."

Ochako leaned back in her seat as she realized she also already knew how Bakugou would answer those same questions, "Well then, what would _you_ like to talk about?"

Bakugou chewed on his lip, eyebrows pulled down as he tried to think of something.

"See? So we're not going to bypass _all_ of the small talk bullshit—"

"Why'd ya agree to taking me home with you?" Bakugou interrupted again, catching her off-guard _again_ , "Yesterday, at the deli?"

"Geez," She said, dropping her fork and crossing her arms over her chest protectively, "Maybe because you've always taken me seriously from the first time we ever fought? Maybe because you keep showing me that you respect me through your actions and even your words on occasion? You challenge me, and I just can't say no? You're also really hot." She laughed to herself as something occurred to her, "All the girls from school would tell me I'm crazy for having sex with you if they knew—but that's the thing. I respect you too." She locked gazes with him, "You're aggressive and hot-tempered, but you know what it means to be a hero."

Bakugou's lips stretched into a considering expression, "It pisses me off when people undervalue you."

"Thanks," Ochako said lamely.

Katsuki shrugged, returning to his food in earnest. They ate the rest of the meal in comfortable silence.

Showering with Bakugou was all business—no hanky panky, much to her dismay. Although he did slap her ass as she was stepping out, and to retaliate she turned around to pinch his nipple and yank. But other than that, the only contact they had in the shower was washing each other's backs—and Bakugou insisted upon washing her hair.

It felt kind of surreal to have Bakugou staring her down from the open doorway of her apartment in yesterday's clothes, his red eyes as intense as ever but with a subtle softness that she was sure she wasn't imagining.

"You said dinner tonight?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe and dipping his head closer to hers, "I saw the contents of your fridge, so I'm just gonna assume we're doing this thing at my place—" He shoved his phone in her hand, "Give me your number, and I'll text you my address. What time do you get off patrol?"

"Six, usually," She answered, taking his phone and typing in her contact info.

"Let's say seven for tonight then," He took his phone back, looking over her name in his contacts. He smirked, clicking the edit button and typing something in with quick fingers.

Ochako shoved herself into his space to see what could possibly be making him smirk like _that._ She gasped when she saw what he changed her name to in his phone.

"One juicy peach!?"

Bakugou winked, "The fuckin' juiciest peach I ever did eat."

She slapped his arm, red faced, "Baku _gou!_ "

He laughed without any malice, sliding his phone into his pocket and well out of her reach, "See you at seven, juicy fruit." He stooped down and pecked her on the cheek before turning his back to her and strolling towards the stairs. When she shut the door, she slid down it until her butt hit the ground. She pulled out her own phone and called Deku.

"Hey Ochako!" His chirpy voice answered after three rings.

"Deku!" She said frantically, "I had sex with Bakugou and he asked me out afterwards and he made me breakfast and he literally _just_ left my apartment and we're having dinner tonight and I think he wants me to be his girlfriend but he's emotionally stunted and I'm a hot mess and I'm positive that this is all going to explode in our faces!"

"You had sex with _Kacchan?_ " Deku squeaked.

" _Yes_ , Deku. Keep up!"

Deku sputtered, "W-well ex _cuse_ me for being a _little_ surprised? You had actual sex? With Kacchan?"

"We dry humped, he ate me out like a fucking _champ,_ and then, _yes_ , he stuck his _actual_ dick in me."

"Gyah!" Izuku exclaimed, scandalized, "It was a yes or no question! You didn't have to get anymore descriptive than just saying yes!"

"I did say yes!" She argued, hand slipping into her hair and clenching around the brown locks, "You weren't getting it! Will you just tell me what I should do!?"

"Shit," Deku murmured, "How about we grab lunch today? That way we can both think through your options and talk it out? I've gotta leave for patrol in like ten minutes anyways…"

"Please, please, _please_ ," Ochako chanted, "You're a lifesaver Deku!"

"S'all in the job description."

* * *

"Okay," Deku said, sipping on his milkshake happily as he pulled out a notepad and a pencil, "So I think you should make a list of pros and cons of dating Kacchan. Let's go ahead and get the cons out of the way first—"

"He's shit at communication," Ochako said, munching on the fries she's been dreaming about ever since Bakugou showed up yesterday at the deli she frequented, "He can't stand most of my friends, I kind of feel like he decided to ask me out on a whim and didn't really think any of this through, and both of us are busy as hell—"

"Okay, I'm going to knock that one off the list because that's likely to be a problem with _anyone_ you decide to date. Anything else?"

Ochako chewed her lip.

Izuku rolled his eyes, "Spit it out, 'Chako."

"I feel like this one's petty and shallow," She sighed, sipping on her soda.

Izuku smiled fondly, "I'm sure you can find a pro that's just as petty and shallow to cancel it out."

"Bakugou's fuckboy fans," Ochako grunted, gazing out the window, "I feel like I'm going to be _attacked_ if I'm dating Ground Zero—like the media will accuse me of sleeping with him to get attention and to raise my ranking as a hero."

Izuku set down his pencil and crossed his arms over his chest, his green eyes settling on her with a seriousness he usually reserved for hero work. "That's valid, Ochako," He said, "Kacchan's definitely got a large fan base, and they do kind of revere him because of his aggressive attitude—like somehow his foul mouth and all around image excuse their own misogynistic, racist, and homophobic mindsets even though Kacchan's none of those things himself." Deku's sighed, "No matter how much he yells at his own fans to stop doing that, the fuckboys still just want to be fuckboys. But the question here is…" He reached across the table to pat one of her hands sympathetically, "…can you handle that?"

"I guess it depends on the pros," Ochako garbled.

"Let me have 'em," He told her, picking up his pencil again.

"Well…" She started hesitantly, like it was insane to admit that there were _any_ pros to dating Bakugou Katsuki, "He and I are compatible in bed. Like _really_ compatible. Like really _insanely_ compatible. He's a surprisingly attentive lover—and he did this thing with his tongue that—"

"Ochako," Deku interrupted, gripping tight to his pencil, "I am _begging_ you not to go into further detail."

"Oh sorry, Deku!" She giggled, "I started daydreaming there. Hmm…another pro is that he's a good cook! And he treats me like an equal; he's an inspiration to me and would probably be willing to work with me to become a better hero. Despite how stubborn he is, he knows what it means to be a hero and will work harder than anyone to improve himself and change characteristics about himself that hinder that dream. He seemed really serious about wanting to date me, despite it all happening at once…and I bet he'd work on his communication skills if he knows how important that is to me. I guess I have kind of had a crush on him since high school—I mean, it's kind of cute how he goes to bed early, and how much of a goody-two shoes he is even though he tries to look like a bad boy—"

"Oh. Oh, honey," Deku stopped her before she could prattle on any further, "You've got it _bad,_ and you didn't even know it."

Ochako's eyes widened, Deku's words putting it all into perspective.

"I'm fucked," She said simply.

"Fraid so."

Ochako groaned.

* * *

It was a month later—they had been officially exclusive since a week after their initial hook-up due to Bakugou's persistence, which was something she'd only ever seen him apply to hero work—and she had been taking a nap on Bakugou's chest after a long day of patrol and paper work. Bakugou had the news on, and it was trickling into her ears as she slowly gained consciousness.

She opened her sleep-heavy eyes, disoriented like she usually was when waking up from a nap. It took her a moment to remember that she was at Bakugou's place and not her own apartment and that her pillow was his hard chest and not the arm of her couch. After she finally got a hold of herself, she realized that Bakugou was scrolling through his phone over her shoulder rather than watching the television.

She stirred, and Katsuki threw his phone to the side so as to tighten his arms around her. She peeked up at him, brows furrowing as she saw the frown on his face—it wasn't his usual frown, it was a worried frown. She opened her mouth to ask about it when she tuned into the conversation on the news station and was successfully distracted.

Bakugou sighed, turning her face back towards his.

"Don't listen to them, 'Chako," He growled softly, running his long fingers through her bangs, "They don't know shit about you."

Just as she had predicted with Deku, the two news anchors were speculating over the nature of her and Bakugou's relationship—particularly her intentions behind dating the infamous, aggressive, loud-mouthed Ground Zero. Apparently, many believed she was only with him for the media attention.

Ochako didn't yank her head away from his grip, but her eyes did stubbornly flick over to the television.

In a move that was very un-Bakugou-like, or so she would have thought a month ago, he leant forward to press his lips on the crown of her head. He trailed down to her ear, and began whispering to her.

"They don't know how hard you work to show up all the jackasses that look down on you," He murmured, softly kissing behind her ear and slowly recapturing her attention away from the screen. "They don't know that you give up a large chunk of each paycheck to your parents like the selfless angel you are." He planted another kiss lower down on her neck, making her shiver. "They don't know that I practically had to get down on my knees and beg you to date me." He trailed upwards, kissing her cheek affectionately. He pulled back to look her in the eyes, serious, "And _you_ don't even seem to know that I'm the luckiest bastard out there, having you here. In my arms." He kissed the corner of her mouth teasingly and turned away from her even as she chased his lips. She whined when he refused to kiss her again, pulling back with a pout.

"Listen," He chided with a smile, hand ruffling her hair.

"You're the one that started kissing me," She grumped, tapping her fingers on his collarbone.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, electing to ignore her accusation in favor of finishing his point, "You have the respect of the people that matter to you, don't you?"

Ochako sighed. She thought of Deku, Tenya, Tsuyu, Todoroki—all of their classmates from high school, really. They all respected her; they all saw the strength sitting inside of her even if it took a bit longer for some of them to see past her fragile-looking exterior.

And then there was Katsuki.

The man that has respected her from the beginning.

She nodded, melting a little into his arms.

"Then don't fuckin' worry about those extras thinking they know better than you," He demanded, resting his forehead against hers. Ochako smiled softly, leaning forward to finally steal that kiss from him.

"Thanks," She said against his lips. She giggled a moment later, pulling back from him with a teasing glint in her eyes, "You're really sweet, Katsuki."

He grinned flirtatiously, "Only on you, angel."

She blushed, still not so used to this affectionate, flirty side of him. Instead of teasing him—it'd probably just backfire on her because of his damned wit—she elected to pushing him back into the cushions of the couch and sliding their lips together, slow and wet, until it progressed into something else entirely.

* * *

Six months into their relationship, Ochako's media composure snapped in arguably one of the worst places she could have let it: while she was the key guest on Japan's Society of Heroes radio talk show. To make matters worse, not only was it broadcast live over the radio—it was also recorded on camera and put on their YouTube page later.

The interview had been going fine. Ochako had been nervous, but it wasn't anything she hasn't been able to handle before—she forgot the show host's name due to her nerves, and her biggest anxiety for most of the interview was simply making sure she didn't put herself in a position where she'd have to use his name she'd let slip.

She saw red at the end of the interview, shortly after the show host started asking her questions about her and Katsuki's relationship.

"Does Ground Zero treat you well, Uravity-san?" He'd asked harmlessly.

She had blinked, not sure she understood the sentiment behind the question. She probably _shouldn't_ of pressed it, but it had literally pressed up against her ribcage—a righteous fury that had been dying to burst out of her lips.

"What do mean?" She asked sweetly, her eyes burning viciously.

He must not have seen the rage in her eyes.

"Many have questioned your decision to pursue a relationship with the aggressive hero," He continued, clearly rehearsing a script, "The public couldn't help but feel uneasy about you two considering his violent treatment towards you during your first year Sports Festival—"

" _Violent treatment?_ " Ochako interrupted, incredulous, "We were competing in a _hero_ tournament! Would you call his battle with goddamned Todoroki _violent treatment_? What about the other two _boys_ he faced during the one on ones?"

"Analysts have judged each individual battle, and based on your quirk—"

"I know what the damned analysts have to say," She plowed on, "and I'm just going to stop you right there. So shut your mouth and listen."

His mouth snapped shut.

"Anyone who accuses Katsuki of being _abusive_ can fuck off," She growled, this new feeling of being protective of someone she's never thought needed protection overwhelming her—she'd probably curse herself later for letting her emotions rule her, but she couldn't find a single care over it in the moment. "That particular battle between me and Ground Zero was one of my biggest turning points—he inspired me to greatness because he stood in that ring with me as a man facing an _equal,_ and the fact that you and so many other people perceive that as _violent treatment_ , despite it being contained in a competition where I _also_ rained down about a ton of debris on his sorry ass, is both an insult to _me_ and to _all_ of the women in the hero industry you so obviously look down on."

She huffed, crossing her arms, "But most of all, it's an insult to my boyfriend and his goals and his respect for strength and his unwavering morals as a _hero_. He's _treating_ me like a goddamned queen, and I love every second of it. If anyone wants to fight me on it, come find me. I'm sure Katsuki will be there to cheer me on considering he was the first person to understand that I can fight my own fucking battles."

And with those final words, she threw her headphones off onto the table in front of her and stormed off.

* * *

When Ochako stormed into her apartment that evening, she slammed the door and slid down the back of it—she let out a long sigh, trying to let all of her anger out of her system. She could feel tears prickling at the edge of her eyes out of anger, but she forced them back with a couple of calming breaths that Bakugou, of all people, had taught her to do when she got like this.

It was after her third long breath that she was tuned back into her senses enough that she could smell something flowery in the air.

She blinked, looked up and the first thing she noticed was a trail of rose petals that lead down the hallway towards her bedroom. Knowing that this could only be the work of one person and not really believing what that deduction entailed, she got up, anger forgotten, and followed the petals.

They led into her room, and upon entering she was hit with an even stronger aroma of flowers and a sticky humidity that always lingered after she had the shower going. The trail of rose petals continued past her bed and into her bathroom where the humidity was coming from—now tears were prickling at her eyes for a completely different reason.

When she opened the door to her bathroom, a wave of hot, sticky air hugged her like an old friend—the tub was full with steaming water and the rest of the rose petals, and the flowery smell was enough to make the last of her frustrations bleed out of her system. The lights were off, but there were several candles lit around the small bathroom that created the kind of relaxed ambiance that Ochako needed right now.

And at the other side of the bathroom was Katsuki, lighting the last of the candles with an outstretched lighter.

She rushed forward, throwing her arms around his waist and digging her nose into his back. He stiffened at the surprise attack, before relaxing back into her hold. He put down the lighter before turning in her arms and pulling her into the most heartfelt hug she's ever received from him.

"You're so cheesy," She told him with a watery laugh.

"You love it," He murmured back, pressing a kiss into her hair.

There was no denying that.

"C'mon," He said as he pulled back, tugging on her clothes, "You had a long day."

"Are you going to join me?" She inquired as she let him strip her down to her underwear. She stepped out of her jeans once he managed to pull them down to her ankles. He smiled at her question—the soft smile that she only saw on rare occasions, the one that could have her at his mercy if he used it too often.

"If you want me to," He said, brushing her hair over her shoulder and leaning down to lay a kiss on her skin.

"I do," Ochako said, moving her hands up to divest him of his own clothing. She paid special care to remove his shirt slowly, revealing inch after inch of his smooth skin and tickling his sides with the movement of her hands. She let him shimmy out of his pants and boxers on his own so that she could remove her bra and underwear. She climbed into the tub after him, sighing as the hot water relaxed her muscles.

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

"This media shit ain't ever gonna stop," He told her quietly, "It pisses me off too, ya know."

Ochako frowned—she actually _didn't_ know.

"I try not to let it bother me," He kept going, massaging his thumb into her side, "But when all those shitheads started focusing on the both of us as a couple—I guess I agreed with them in a way. At least th'ones who say that you deserve better. Because you do."

"How long have you felt like this?" Ochako asked, pinching his thigh under the water for not telling her sooner.

Katsuki huffed and she could feel it against the back of her neck.

"Since I realized that I liked you, 'Chako," Katsuki said, "I didn't need those fuckers to tell me that I wasn't worthy of you. I already knew. I haven't brought it up, because I've been afraid that once I do you'll realize it too."

Ochako blew air into one side of her mouth, eyebrows furrowed.

"Stop that," She told him, tipping her head to the side so that she could glare at him, "I couldn't have asked for anyone better. You're always telling me not to pay any mind to the media, so take your own damned advice and listen to what _I_ have to say." She poked his chest, glare intensifying.

"Hmm," He hummed near her ear, pressing a kiss on her neck, "Which is?"

She turned around, putting her weight on his shoulders for a moment as she moved to straddle him. The water sloshed around them, some of it spilling over the side of the tub.

"You're the best thing that's happened to me since we started school at U.A. all those years ago," She declared resolutely, staring into his carmine eyes.

"That's kind of what I gathered from your little meltdown on the radio today," He smirked.

Ochako blushed. Her actions and tone from earlier were catching up to her now, and the embarrassment she'd staved off was now hitting her full force.

"I meant every word of it," She said.

"I know," He replied.

She rolled her eyes, sliding down his body so that she could rest her head into the crook of his neck. His arms came up around her to hang loosely around her waist, laying a lazy hand on her ass.

"If we're gonna make this last," And, god, did she want it to last, "We're gonna have to deal with this kind of shit all the time. _Talk_ to me about it next time, you jerk. That way I can talk you out of it like you do for me all the time."

"I'll try," He promised instead, which was good enough for her.

"Thank you for this, by the way," She mumbled tiredly, skating her fingers over the top of the water before resting her hand on his chest, "You're a really good boyfriend."

"Oi," He yanked on her hair lightly, "Don't fall asleep. We're gonna turn into fucking prunes."

"M'tired. I'll blow your pruned dick later to make up for it."

Katsuki sighed but made no further argument. Smart man.

What they had wasn't perfect—but it was moments like these that _were_ perfect. As long as they kept having these stolen moments away from all the scrutiny and the expectations, then Ochako knew that they would be just fine no matter what the world threw at them.

* * *

 ***A/N: Honestly, I forgot how much I hated this damned website-but if you read this and thought that there was too many feminist conundrums being shoved in your face and that it detracted from the story, newsflash: that was the whole point of the story. There's a lot of shit wrong with media today, and you cannot tell me that it also wouldn't be a problem in the hero world. I wanted to focus on the negative effects it would have on my favorite characters, as well as how they decided to overcome it-which led to some smut and a get together because I'm Kacchako trash. Sorry if you didn't like reading it, but I don't really care because I do this for fun and I'm not paid and I don't need to cater to anyone because I write what _I_ want to read because this is a _hobby_.**

 **Sorry, guys. I got some reviews that kind of ticked me off because they were mad I didn't write things their way. To those of you who enjoyed this story: you're amazing and part of why I love to write. Please have a great day :)**


	2. one spicy pepper

Uravity was beat up, tired, and so ridiculously satisfied.

"Good job, Uravity!" and other variations of praise echoed throughout the crowd that had gathered during her skirmish with a particularly volatile villain. She still had the poor bastard pinned to the ground, the heel of her boot digging into his hand while she held the other one down behind his back. She couldn't help but smirk. And maybe Katsuki has been rubbing off on her, but she just felt so _good._

She had taken down this villain by herself—before other heroes could even _make_ it to the scene. And the only damage to the surrounding area that could be pinned on her was a sizeable hole on the side of a brick building from where she had bat the unlucky adversary careening like the home-run he was. Oh, and she might have uprooted a tree to use as a bat.

Her agency's insurance company would be pleased, meaning that her boss would be pleased, meaning that she was that much closer to being assigned a better zone where she could show the world just what she could do.

When the police took the villain into custody, she couldn't even be mad that she still had the press to deal with.

"Uravity!" reporters called all at once, waving fanatically in order to get her attention.

She usually didn't bite, especially when it was a crowd like this. But her good mood guided her towards the cameras and microphones with a victorious smile on her face.

"Uravity!" a woman boldly stepped out of the crowed, eager to be the first to interview the young hero. "Is it true that you and Ground Zero have moved in together?"

Ochako's nose scrunched.

"I don't see how that involves my job as a hero," Ochako stated resolutely. And the answer was no—not that anyone besides her, Katsuki, and their good friends needed to know that. Reporters had been asking this same damned question for months, and she's a little miffed that they were so focused on her relationship that they were ignoring her accomplishments as a hero. "If you don't have any questions involving the villain takedown just now, then I really don't want—"

A young girl, perhaps in middle school still, pushed her way to the front of the crowd. She was breathing heavily, like escaping the throng of impassioned news reporters required heavy amounts of physical excursion. Which. Ochako couldn't imagine it being all that easy weaving through a sea of sharks.

"Uravity!" she exclaimed between pants of air. Ochako, who had been turning away from the crowd, stopped in her tracks. The hero strode over to the girl, patiently waiting for her to catch her breath. She held out a hand, smiling. The girl stared at it with wide eyes, clearly not expecting to get this far. The grin on her face was unmistakable, and Ochako couldn't help but mirror it as she grasped her hand eagerly and gave it a hearty shake.

"You're my hero!" she proclaimed. "The way you took down that villain was so cool! I wanna be an awesome combat hero like you one day!" She threw an arm to the square, flexing to indicate Uravity's strength.

Ochako blinked in surprise—no one had ever referred to her as a combat hero before.

"Can I have your autograph?" the girl inquired, jumping up and down in excitement as she offered Ochako the back of a flier and a bright pink sharpie, and hardly giving the hero any time at all to recover from her shock.

But Ochako squared her shoulders, smiling down at the girl again.

"What's your name?" she asked, accepting the flier and sharpie and waiting for her response before she started signing.

"Nanase Sawa!"

"What's your quirk, Nanase-chan?"

It was Nanase's turn to blink in confusion. It was obvious that she was a little caught off guard by Ochako's genuine interest in her, making the hero wonder how many hot shots have told her to get lost. But Ochako couldn't help but giggle at her perplexed expression. This girl was adorable and reminded her of a young Mina.

"I can make surfaces bouncy at my touch," she explained, smiling brightly as Ochako scribbled out a message on the flier. "It's kind of like your quirk in a way!" And then, as if reminded of something, she glanced away from Ochako with a pout. "All the boys at school tell me it's better for rescue work, and that I'd be dead meat in a scuffle." She flicked her eyes back up at Ochako, and her smile immediately returned, "but you use your quirk to fight all the time! I wanna be just like you!"

Ochako laughed, unable to resist the sudden urge she had to ruffle the girl's black hair. But Nanase didn't seem to mind.

"Well, I say," she winked, finishing her signature with a flourish before she offered Nanase back her flier and sharpie, "that you show those boys what you're made of."

Nanase took the flier back with a squeal, making Ochako laugh again.

"Can I take a picture with you?" Ochako asked, slipping her phone from her utility belt—Katsuki had gifted it to her and had added her to his plan as a birthday surprise, which had made her explode at his excessiveness until he compromised and allowed her to pay for her portion of the plan while he paid for the monthly cost of the phone itself. It made her think of their little lover's quarrel every time she pulled out her phone—she had been so mad at him at the time, but now it only made her laugh.

"W-with me!?" Nanase screeched, her ears turning red. "I should be the one asking _you_ that!"

Ochako shrugged.

"I don't want to forget you, Nanase-chan," she confessed, tapping on her phone's screen to open up her camera. "You inspired me, you know."

"I-I did?!"

"Yup!" Ochako nodded.

Nanase's eyes had stars in them as Ochako reached an arm around her shoulders, offering a wink and a peace sign to the camera. She took a few just to ensure that she'd have one that wasn't blurry—Katsuki always shit-talk her photography skills, so she could never be too careful.

"I'll put that up somewhere," Ochako said. She was still awful at social media outlets, something that drove her recently hired public relations agent _mad,_ but hopefully this could abate the poor bastard for now. She offered Nanase one last smile, "feel free to tag yourself in it. I'm glad you're safe, Nanase-chan." She waved at the young girl, ignoring the twittering crowd of reporters that looked like they were going insane over their small interaction. "You can rest easy when I'm on the job!" Ochako winced as the words came out, still unsure if having a catchphrase was something she could get behind. It's something she says all the time about her inspiration for becoming a hero—so that her parents can rest easy—and when her PR agent, Okomoto Hidemitsu, heard it he clung to it like a repelling rope. They had argued back and forth over using it while on patrol until she had given in and promised to give it a try. She really was making all of his dreams come true today.

Ochako pressed her hands together to float herself to the top of a building and _away from anymore embarrassment_.

"Byeeee, Uravity-san!" Nanase called after her, waving fluidly.

Ochaka smiled, shooting finger guns at her until she made it to a roof and returned gravity to herself carefully.

She let out a long breath once she was back on her feet. Then, she shook off the dust as she tuned back into her comms and was off to another place in need of her help.

* * *

"Do you think I'd have a shot as a combat oriented hero?" Ochako asked Deku and Iida at their weekly meet-up for ice cream. She glanced down at her phone, watching as notification after notification came in on the photo she had taken with Nanase. She had put it up on social media, as promised, and she had to put her phone on silent to stop it from dinging constantly. She put it aside for now, looking back up at her friends.

The thought of shifting more toward combat work had been stewing in her mind for a while—probably since high school. She had walked the path of learning all sorts of fighting styles while at U.A., and it wasn't something she let herself get rusty with now that she was older and an experienced hero. She's grateful for that training—it only makes rescue work that much easier.

So yeah, she's thought about it before. But after establishing herself as an able rescue hero, she figured she could be satisfied enough with that.

But was she actually?

Without missing a beat and not bothering to look up from his ice cream, Deku said, "you've already got a pretty good balance of combat experience _and_ rescue experience—you probably lean more to the rescue side, sure. But I'm not gonna be the person to tell you that you're not capable of something. 'Cause I know you are."

Iida nodded enthusiastically as he made chopping motions of agreement with his hands.

"You've proven yourself countless times Uraraka-kun," Tenya agreed. "Combat is a little about your quirk, but also involves how you _use_ it—"

Deku cut in with shrewd eyes, likely catching onto Tenya's train of thought.

"I've watched every video that exists about your work in the field," he declared proudly, "and you're easily one of the most creative heroes when it comes to your quirk's application. Anyone else born with zero gravity probably _would_ be stuck as a rescue hero—what makes you capable of being a combat hero is _you_."

Iida nodded again.

"You're truly a great hero, Uraraka," Tenya proclaimed. He reached across the table, Ochako assumed to grab her hand in this touching moment. But before she could reach for him back, his other hand rushed forward to begin unbuttoning the sleeve of his dress shirt. "Look," he said seriously, as he rolled up his sleeve, "I won a Uravity tatoo at a nickel arcade with Todoroki-kun."

"Aw!" Deku cried, sticking his nose close to Tenya's wrist, "a little chibi Uravity! Did they have any Deku tattoos, Iida-kun?"

"Nope," Iida answered honestly, causing Izuku to pout only for him to shake it off a second later.

"I just bought a Uravity bracelet," Izuku confessed as he took another bite of his ice cream. "I wish I had it on me to show you—s'got a little infinity sign with tiny orbiting planets around it." He sighed, "you've got the coolest merch, Ochako."

Ochako rolled her eyes at their antics.

"Oh please," she said, " _your_ merch is the coolest, Deku. Even Katsuki's got a Deku themed water bottle."

"He does _not_ ," Deku exclaimed with a smile. Ochako could see in Izuku's eyes just how much that information meant to him.

"He does," Ochako reaffirmed, " _and_ Ingenium sneakers."

"Come on, you two," Iida said too seriously but with a tilt to his lips that gave away how proud that information actually made him, "we all know that its Bakugou-kun who _actually_ has the coolest merch."

"Pffft," Ochako conceded, "yeah, you're right."

"Regardless of that," Tenya continued, buttoning his sleeve back up, "my point was—you're a revered hero, Uraraka. Not because you focus on rescue instead of combat or vice versa, but because you do what's needed when needed. You're versatile. More so than most heroes. It's truly admirable."

"Thank you, Tenya," Ochako murmured quietly, touched by his and Izuku's words. They ate their ice cream in comfortable silence for a moment until her phone buzzed on the table, and Ochako glanced down to see who was trying to contact her.

 **one spicy pepper (5:42 p.m.)**

 _i'm making dinner tonight, so don't stay out with those nerds too long_

 **Ochako (5:42 p.m.)**

 _and what if i do? :P_

 **one spicy pepper (5:43 p.m.)**

 _then you'll be heating it up yourself and i'll be fucking you in bed instead of over the countertop_

 **Ochako (5:43 p.m.)**

 _charming. i'm not sure i see how that's a lose for me?_

 **one spicy pepper (5:43 p.m.)**

 _you love it when i take you anywhere and everywhere and especially in the kitchen you weirdo_

 **one spicy pepper (5:43 p.m.)**

 _don't deny it_

Ochako giggled, biting her lower lip into her mouth and finding herself unable to resist teasing her boyfriend.

 **Ochako (5:43 p.m.)**

 _yeah, you're right_

 **Ochako (5:43 p.m.)**

 _but_ _not_ _as_ _much as you love crawling into bed at 8 pm sharp_

 **one spicy pepper (5:44 p.m.)**

 _exactly, pink cheeks_

 **one spicy pepper (5:44 p.m.)**

 _clock's ticking_

Ochako rolled her eyes—he couldn't say 'I miss you' like a normal person. But it was so endearingly Katsuki. It made her heart flutter inside of her ribcage like it had grown wings and was rearing up to fly away.

"You're making bedroom eyes at your phone, Ochako," Izuku observed with fond eyes. "Tell Kacchan I say hi." Ochako silently vowed to do just that, even though she knew Katsuki and Deku went out for drinks every week _and_ trained together what felt like every other morning.

"Am I that obvious?" Ochako sighed with red ears, slipping her phone back into her pocket so as to include herself in the present again while simultaneously leaving Katsuki hanging—he loved when she kept him hanging. It drove the blonde up the wall in the best way possible. Whenever she played games like this he would quite literally bust his nuts proving to her that it was impossible to ignore him.

"Blaringly obvious," Tenya affirmed, "and I would also like for you to tell Bakugou-kun hi for me."

"Will do," she promised, scratching the side of her face and pushing the rest of her ice cream to the side. "Do you guys mind if I leave a little earlier?"

"As long as you spare me the details of why," Izuku chirped, "then by all means."

Ochako rolled her eyes. "Katsuki's making dinner."

"Uh huh," Deku said, unconvinced, "I'm not sure devouring each other counts as dinner, though."

"Weren't you the one that wanted to be spared the details?" Ochako raised an eyebrow.

Iida nodded vigorously. "You're only egging her on more, Izuku-kun; you and I both already know way too much about their sex life."

Ochako pouted, "why is it that Todoroki and Tsuyu-chan are the only ones willing to talk with me about this kind of stuff?"

"Because they both have no shame," Izuku answered resolutely, "and Todoroki low-key wants to get in on that action."

"He does _not,_ " Ochako laughed, but there was no hiding her burning ears.

"Hookay," Izuku said quickly, "please don't ever make _that_ a thing. I might be able to get _you_ to shut up about sex, but I _know_ that Todoroki wouldn't hold back on any details if you were to have a threesome."

"Shut it, Deku!" she exclaimed too loudly, kicking his shin under the table, "that's not a thing!"

Deku grinned, throwing up his hands in mock defense.

"If you say so," he said like the little shit he is.

Ochako rolled her eyes and fixed the green-haired hero with a scathing glare she'd learned from Bakugou. "I'm gonna kick your ass extra hard at the dojo for that one."

"Wha—?" Deku's eyes widened in actual fear. "I'm just teasing! Come on, there's no need for that!"

Iida's glasses glinted.

"You've made your bed, Izuku-kun," Tenya said seriously, "and that means you have to sleep in it."

Deku gulped.

* * *

When Ochako let herself into Bakugou's apartment with the spare key he'd given her, she was bombarded with the mouthwatering scent of his cooking. Holy _fuck_ , did that smell sinful. She was a pretty good cook herself when she allowed herself to splurge on groceries, but Bakugou was a _god_ in the kitchen.

She kicked off her shoes and tossed her bag to the side of his front door while trying not to drool all over the wood flooring.

"Oi," Katsuki called from behind the counter, wearing his favorite black tank top and sweats underneath an apron. Ochako was starting to think he wore sleeveless shirts whenever she was coming around because he knew how much of thing she had for his arms. "Get over here."

"Hey, babe," Ochako greeted, stepping around the counter and into the circle of his arms. She stole a quick peck from his lips, and slid her hand down his back until she had a handful of his ass to give it a hearty squeeze. Ochako hummed in appreciation and could practically feel Katsuki rolling his eyes at her antics, but she wasn't ashamed in the slightest.

"Save it for after dinner, angel face," Katsuki reprimanded, pulling away with that stupidly attractive smirk of his on his face. "You're so fuckin' insatiable."

"I can't help it, Katsuki," Ochako whined, letting him go regrettably so that he could get back to the stove, "I even had plans to tease the hell out of you, but one look at you and my resolve crumbled." She grabbed the strings of his apron and yanked playfully. "I think it's the apron."

Bakugou flicked the stir fry around with a lazy motion of his wrist. "So you admit you're a tease?"

Ochako raised a brow, "only if you admit how much it drives you crazy."

Katsuki snorted.

"Done," he said with pride, strolling over to the cabinets to pull out a couple of plates and handing them to Ochako, "and that's old news. You drive me fuckin' crazy; you think I'm embarrassed by that? If you're tryna catch me with that one, it ain't gonna work."

Ochako pouted. She wasn't sure why she still bothered. Whenever she tried to make him at a loss for words, it only ever backfired on her. Even now Ochako struggled to come up with a retort, and the look in those ruby eyes told her that he knew he'd won.

But instead of rubbing it in her face even more, he barked out a laugh, free and open—oh, how she adored that laugh—and nodded towards the table where there was already a pitcher of water, a plate of katsudon, and a bowl of rice waiting for them. She grinned back at him sheepishly, sitting down at the table with the plates.

"How was your day?" He inquired, like he hadn't already watched the news and read up on her villain attack anyways. Katsuki was just as big of a nerd as Izuku in this regard—both of them made sure to keep up with their old classmates and coworkers. Katsuki tried to play it off as him just keeping an eye on other heroes to see who he needed to outdo, but Ochako knew that underneath it all he was a fan boy at heart.

"I felt like a badass today!" she proclaimed despite all of that, punching an imaginary adversary as Katsuki came over with the pan of stir fry and a hot pad. "Taking down the villain always gives me such a rush!"

"You're _always_ a badass, idiot," he scoffed, throwing the hot pad down followed by the stir fry. Now that his hands were free they came up to her face and grabbed her by the cheeks. Katsuki stooped down to steal another kiss, slower this time like he wanted to savor her. Something about the action—stopping to kiss her at the dinner table and how _domestic_ that was—sent her heart dribbling. Even after being with him for almost a year, moments like this with Katsuki made her feel just as giddy as their first date.

She could feel that her face was burning from the care he put into the kiss, but decided not to hide it. Ochako knew he had a soft spot for her pink cheeks, after all.

He pulled away and Ochako's eyes fluttered open just in time to watch him plop down onto the chair across from her. Without a word, he grabbed her plate to start dishing up the rice that was just out of her reach.

"Missed ya," he said quietly, like it was something only for her ears despite them being completely alone in his apartment. He handed her plate back to her without looking her in the eye, red dusting across his nose and cheeks. He had no problem flirting to tease her, but as soon as even a hint of tenderness escaped through his bristly exterior he became stiff and awkward and so fucking _adorable_.

The warmth that flooded her heart in response to that small confession was staggering, and she couldn't help the giggle that escaped at how _cute_ he could be.

"Missed you too," Ochako repeated, just as tenderly. It was sometimes difficult to maneuver their relationship through their busy schedules, but they made it work—in fact, the time spent away from Katsuki only made her long for him more. This time round it had only been a few days littered with flirtatious text messages, heartfelt good night calls, and one round of steamy phone sex where Katsuki had put his filthy mouth to good use. But none of that compared to the warmth of his body—tangible and _hers._

She slid her leg between his underneath the table to steal that same warmth for herself and offered him a soft smile.

After Ochako had given Katsuki a more in-depth rundown of her day and had kept up on her promise to tell him hi from Deku and Tenya, Katsuki grunted out a recap of his own day in less than three sentences.

When she asked him what he thought about her turning her focus on combat, he only quirked an eyebrow and said, "if you wanna kick more ass, then kick more ass. The only approval you need for that decision is your own."

To which Ochako smiled and nodded, as if she had been expecting that kind of answer.

Dinner was a quiet affair after that.

Until Bakugou flicked rice into her hair as she was finishing off the rest of her katsudon.

Ochako froze mid-bite, rounding on him in an instant.

He'd averted his eyes and brought his cup to his lips, gulping down water innocently like he hadn't just declared war. She narrowed her eyes at him, because there was absolutely nothing innocent about this man.

She pulled some rice away from her plate with her hands and threw it right at his face as soon as he put the glass back on the table. As if expecting it, he opened his mouth wide and caught the projectile like it was nothing. He chewed it smugly, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'is that the best you got?' From there, it was a battlefield.

Even rarer than Katsuki's tender moments, were the ones where he instigated something as playful as this. Ochako would take what she could get and _run_.

Which is why, as soon as Ochako got a grip on him—taking note of how both of their hair was littered with rice and how there was sauce from the stir fry streaked across various parts of their bodies—she activated her quirk on him. She threw him over her shoulder with ease, and gave back his gravity just in time for him to slam down onto the table. Gently enough that it wouldn't hurt him, but harshly enough to steal his attention in a new way. A few of the dishes clattered to the floor, including the bowl of rice. Ochako clambered on top of him before he could react. Forcing her knee in between his thighs, she pressed the weight of her body down onto him with a smirk.

"It's almost past your bedtime, Katsuki," she purred, low and breathy and right in his ear.

Katsuki growled, yanking her down into a kiss and pressing down onto her ass with his hands until she was grinding down onto him. When he pulled his lips away to stare up at her, his pupils were eclipsing the red of his eyes with an intense hunger that made her toes curl.

"M'not going to bed until you cum around my dick, Ochako," Katsuki declared, clenching his fingers around her ass.

"Fine by me," she agreed, pressing down onto his hard-on deeper and taking immense pleasure in the way his breath hitched. Trailing her lips down his throat, her hands snuck their way underneath his shirt trailing over hard muscles. She frowned when her fingertips skated over a line of scabbed skin on his side, causing a hiss of pain to escape through his teeth.

"What's this from?" she inquired, pulling back to lift his shirt up.

"Crazy-ass villain with a lock-on quirk," Bakugou explained with a huff, his hands roaming her body to pull her away from the worry and back to the desire.

But she only frowned further.

Bakugou growled, "will you wipe that look off your face? I'm a hero—I can handle it."

"It's okay for me to worry about you, Bakugou," she countered, dropping his shirt and sliding her hand back up his chest so that she could cup his face. "You're smart in the field, and I know you size up every situation like a fuckin' machine. But even you have limits."

"S'just a scratch," he mumbled, cheeks red, "wasn't even close to being overpowered."

Ochako pressed her forehead to his.

"On the off-chance you ever do feel overpowered," she spoke quietly, "call someone." She paused to kiss the pout from his lips. "I only worry because you think you've got to do everything alone, you know."

"I know," he grumbled, "and I'm working on it."

"Mhm," she agreed with a hum, moving against him again, "you're so _good_ , Katsuki. I'm so lucky."

His dick twitched in his sweats and the responding groan that left his mouth was sinful. He pulled her down by the neck, connecting their lips again and moving with her fluidly.

They took their time with each other as their clothing was lost in the mess they had made, reveling in the other's skin and committing everyone moan and sigh to memory. The look of reverence in his eyes when she finally sunk down on his cock right there on his kitchen table, sent her _reeling_. She rode him desperately, keeping her eyes locked with his as her pleasure built in slow waves.

He looked just as fucked out and close to the edge as she felt and her fingers dug into his sides for better purchase—being wary of his wound—as she chased her orgasm. She came first, arching her back and squeezing around him and quickly sending him over the edge with her.

She felt so relaxed and wonderful as they laid together on the kitchen table—naked and panting—that it was a struggle finding the motivation to clean up their mess. But Katsuki wouldn't stand for a dirty kitchen, and Ochako wouldn't make him do it by himself.

She rolled off of him begrudgingly when he pushed at her shoulders, watching him stand back on his feet for a moment so as to appreciate his naked form. His naked form that was bending down to pick up the fallen dishes off the ground.

"Put your clothes back on first, Katsuki!" she laughed, rolling back to her feet and picking up her own clothing.

"What for?" he barked, as he walked the retrieved dishes over to the sink. "Those clothes are a mess, and we're just going to get out of them again when we start the fuckin' shower."

Ochako could feel more laughter bubbling up from her ribcage.

"You're not really going to scrub down the floors in your birthday suit, are you?" she giggled, opting to throw her clothes to the side and slip on his shirt since it was apparently free for the taking. She almost had an aneurism when he pulled out a spray bottle of cleaning product and a handful of rags from the cabinet under the sink. "Oh my god, you are. You're so fuckin' ridiculous sometimes."

"S'my fuckin' apartment," he countered, rolling his eyes. "And you've seen every inch of me already. Hell, you've done one better and felt up every inch of me already. So what's the problem, huh?"

"Just keep the chemicals away from your dick, I guess," Ochako laughed as she grabbed the remaining items from the table—somehow there was still a few things that hadn't been knocked onto the floor during that round of sex.

He snorted, "will do."

Ochako couldn't believe she was humoring him, but she really couldn't come up with any argument other than he was just so extravagantly ridiculous. So she fetched the broom and dustpan and began sweeping up the rice as best she could.

Watching Bakugou aggressively clean his dining area without any clothes on was probably one of the funniest things she's ever seen, and she was best friends with _Tenya—_ a certified drama queen without even realizing it. Idly she wondered if Katsuki did things like this just to get her laughing—if that was the case, then it was definitely working.

Once she had everything put away, she really couldn't do much but watch the show and make lewd comments about his ass.

"You done?" she asked when he finally stood up and wiped at his brow looking like a greek god in all of his nude glory. God, his _hip bones_.

"I know you liked the free show, juicy fruit," he said, rolling his eyes, "so quit griping and lets get in the fuckin' shower." He put the cleaning supplies back where they came from, and then manhandled Ochako towards the bathroom.

Bakugou tried his best at ignoring her advances once they were standing together under the hot spray, barking about how it was time for him to be in bed, but in the end she was victorious when she offered to suck him off. Albeit, the offer was made while she was on her knees in front of him, her mouth inches away from his hardening cock—but she never said she played fair.

And since he was a man of pride he couldn't possibly walk away without returning the favor.

By the time they collapsed onto his bed, it was almost nine-thirty and Bakugou was verging on passing out. Ochako chuckled as she snuggled up to his back, completely in love with his little quirks. She pressed her lips to the back of his neck, making sure she grabbed a handful of his pec.

"Love you," she murmured, closing her eyes.

"Love'ya too," he slurred before falling asleep.

* * *

So Ochako talked to her boss at her agency, asking the seasoned pro hero if she could be put on patrols with more heavy crime fighting. She was surprised by how easily her request was accepted, and before she knew it Ochako was studying the boundary lines of her new patrol area.

Her eyes lit up when she noticed that her zone intersected both with Todoroki and Deku's. She hasn't gotten many opportunities to team up with her friends all that much since graduating high school, so no doubt this would be a great opportunity for them to show the villains some of their old moves.

When she got both of them on the phone to tell them the exciting news, Todoroki suggested that the three of them find time to train together to freshen up on the power move they had made together during their third year at U.A. that Uraraka called 'hail storm'. Todoroki and Deku's quirks were so cool together—she was getting the jitters just thinking about how she can be a part of that again!

"Why don't we have any combo moves?" Katsuki grumbled enviously as she was chirping about all of her ideas to him over lunch. "We work together all the fuckin' time."

Ochako blinked. "Only because your patrol zone covers where I live. It's honestly amazing we've worked together at all, if you think about it."

"Yeah, about that," Katsuki allowed, leaning forward on his elbows and fixing her with a serious look, "I've been thinking about your shitty apartment complex—"

"That's rude, Katsuki," she sniffed, glaring at him. "It's all I can afford, and it's not _that_ bad."

"That's the area of my patrol where I have the most villain encounters," he deadpanned, taking a sip from his drink. "And you do remember what my quirk is, right?"

"Are you implying that you're going to accidently blow up my apartment complex?" she grinned.

"Maybe if that'll get you to move in with me, 'Chako," he shot back, his tone taking as serious an edge as his gaze. Ochako froze, turning wide eyes on her boyfriend. She didn't say anything for a long moment, and she didn't even really realize that her mouth had been gaping wide open until, with a fond expression, Katsuki nudged it shut with a finger.

"You want me to move in with you?" she inquired, heart racing.

"It's about time, don'tcha think?" Katsuki said. "I don't know why the hell we've been stalling this long."

"You—you want that with me?" she asked again, tears of happiness pooling at her eyes.

"You think I don't!?" he growled.

Ochako bit her lip in an effort to hold back the strong emotion she was feeling and she shrugged. Katsuki always liked his space—she's not sure she _ever_ saw the inside of his dorm in high school. He was a private person by nature and didn't like other people in his business. The fact that he feels relaxed enough around her to ask this made her feel like a warm summer's day.

In hindsight, it shouldn't have shocked her that he was asking this. If it hadn't been for their busy schedules, she's sure they would have been living together for months by now.

"You're going to make me say it, huh?" Katsuki asked, glaring at the people around them who kept sending them curious gazes. "In front of all these people?"

"You were the one who brought it up in front of all these people," Ochako pointed out with a watery laugh, giving him the brightest smile that she could muster up. Bakugou sighed, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his.

"I love you, don't I?" he muttered quietly, ignoring the _aww's_ coming from the other guests of the diner at their display. "And you love me, don't you? And waking up to your drooling face s'not bad, and I hate that its not a permanent thing. So move in with me already."

Ochako laughed, squeezing his hand. She thought back to when he had asked her out—even back then it had been more of a demand rather than a question. She supposed, this time round, she could show mercy on him.

"You haven't changed at all, huh?—of course I'll move in with you, idiot!"

Katsuki bristled.

"Oi!" he growled loudly, disturbing the peaceful scene and startling the people who had previously been preening over them. "I'm not a fuckin' idiot!"

Ochako nodded happily, resisting the urge to jump across the table and into his arms.

"I'm so happy, Katsuki!" she proclaimed proudly, offering him a fry which he ate out of her hand with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, averting his gaze, "don't think we're done talking about training together. I still want a combo move that'll blow Deku and Icyhot's out of the water."

* * *

Between her sessions at the dojo, her new morning routines with Katsuki, going to the gym with Kirishima and Mina every Saturday for arm day, practicing her combo move with Deku and Todoroki on Wednesdays and Fridays, slowly moving all of her things into Katsuki's apartment, and her daily patrols, Ochako was _beat._ But could also handle it.

Ochako glared down at her phone while her, Deku and Todoroki all took a rest. It was their fifth week training together and sweat was dripping down her face, but she felt satisfied knowing that the boys were just as tired and sweaty as she was. That satisfaction was short-lived, however, when she saw an article about her most recent work in the field.

"Uravity overworked and underwhelming?" she read aloud to herself, eyebrows scrunching together. "I took down twice as many villains last week than I usually do!" She turned to her friends, shoving the phone into Todoroki's face who's eyes crossed trying to look at it despite the deadpan expression on his face. "Tell me this is bullshit, Todoroki."

Todoroki exchanged glances with Deku.

"Er," Deku interjected, placing a hand on Ochako's shoulder and kneading into the muscle there a bit, "I actually think they might have a point this time—not about the underwhelming point, of course!" He raised his hands up in defense, even though Ochako hadn't done anything to indicate she was going to lash out. "You've really been successful at changing your focus as a hero, and its pretty bogus that you're being compared to heroes who've been combat focused for _years_. But." Izuku smiled sheepishly. "I do think you might be overworking yourself a bit?"

Todoroki nodded.

"I'm sure if Bakugou weren't forcing you to get a decent amount of sleep," Shouto said, his eyes gleaming with a hint of worry, "you wouldn't be sleeping at all. You have to take care of yourself, you know."

Ochako pouted, her shoulders falling a little.

"I just wanna be on the same level as you guys," she admitted quietly.

"But you are?" Todoroki declared resolutely, although it came out more like a question. Like he wasn't sure why she would think otherwise.

"Ochako, you hand me my ass at the dojo every week," Deku supplied, his eyes full of honesty and care. "And you're smart. Even though your focus has shifted, you _still_ orient your efforts on rescue as needed—not because you're second guessing yourself or any of the other bullshit the press has come up with. But because you're smart and know when and where your quirk is the most useful."

"That doesn't make you better or worse than us," Todoroki finished, taking her water bottle that was sitting at her feet and icing it up before offering it back to her. "Actually, more heroes should follow your example. Most of us are shit at balancing combat and rescue. Myself included."

"But you're totally badass, Todoroki," she said, halfheartedly punching his arm before accepting her water bottle back.

Shouto smiled, that little smile that only appeared on rare occasions.

"Thanks," he accepted, "but you're redirecting."

"You should ask Kacchan about this," Izuku offered. "He'll give you an honest answer."

Ochako snorted, "you're right about that."

"Come on," Todoroki nodded his head towards the training grounds, "let's get back to it."

* * *

There was an incident just outside of her patrol area that any hero within thirty minutes of the city, on or off duty, were called into—and Uravity was one of the first heroes on the scene followed closely by Deku, Red Riot, and Ground Zero. From what Uraraka surmised from the reports, it was a team of villains hell bent on making a statement on the state of their society. What _hadn't_ been clear in the radio call was how every single villain involved seemed to be under the effects of some quirk enhancing drug.

"What a pain in the ass," Kirishima voiced, his hardened arm punching through a piece of debris that'd gone flying from where one of the villains was playing as a human jackhammer.

"What, you breaking a sweat?" Ochako taunted, stepping behind his hardened shoulders to shield herself from the projectiles, "we haven't even started yet."

Kirishima snorted, slamming his fists together, "I think you've been spending too much time around Katsuki, Uravity."

Ochako rolled her eyes, and tapped on the comm in her ear.

"Does anyone have eyes on what's happening beyond the flying cement?"

"They're trying to level a building," Shouto's voice responded in her ear, "hacking at it like a tree. Some meta-physical slicing attacks are shooting out of a villain at an alarming rate. Building hasn't been evacuated."

"Good thing you're here then, cheeks," chimed Ground Zero.

"Uravity," Ochako reminded him with exasperated fondness. Katsuki didn't respond, but the battlefield was littered with explosions, ice, and green electricity as her and Kirishima's other three former classmates maneuvered around so she figured he was busy. "What's the plan, boys?"

"Hail storm?" Deku suggested with a grin in his voice.

"Tch. What about the building that's ready to collapse?" Bakugou griped, apparently not busy enough to subtly display his frustration at her, Todoroki and Deku having a combo move when she and Bakugou still hadn't polished one off. "Uravity should focus on that."

"Can't really do anything about it until we stop that villain throwing the debris everywhere, though," Todoroki reasoned, accompanied by a cool breeze as he conjured up a sizeable block of ice.

"What the fuck you think Riot's here for, dumbasses?" Bakugou shot back.

"I can handle that jackhammer villain, easy," affirmed Red Riot with a smile.

Ochako shook her head, "it'll be faster this way." She tapped Kirishima's shoulder. "After I send the ice floating guide me towards the building, Red."

"Shouldn't we wait until Deku's part of hail storm?!" Red Riot grunted as more and more debris came barreling towards him.

"I need to be there in case I need to catch it in a cinch," she replied smoothly.

"What?" Bakugou growled into the comms, "no. That's a reckless fuckin' plan, splittin' your focus like that. Wait until you finish off this jackass jackhammer, or for Riot to distract him before entering that warzone."

"I'm with Kacchan," Deku supplied, using the force of his kick to knock away debris that was headed his way. "Kirishima can get through and—"

"By then that building could already be coming down. If you guys have any other ideas, I'm all ears," she fired back, pushing Kirishima towards the steadily growing block of ice that was beginning to dwarf some of the buildings. "Just a minute ago you were all on board the 'let Uravity catch the building' train—don't worry, I got this."

"We know that," Bakugou barked, the crackle of explosions sounding from the other side of the battlefield and shaking the ground, "that's not the fucking issue. You don't have to fuckin' do everything by yourse—"

"The ice is ready," Todoroki intoned, interrupting Bakugou, "but we probably should rethink this."

"Who else can catch a building without destroying it?" Ochako persisted, becoming steadily annoyed with their lack of faith in her as she and Eijirou trudged their way over to the large block of ice. "Any of you?" There was silence on the comms. "That's what I thought."

"You're still not getting the fuckin' point—"

At that moment there was a blinding pillar of light that flashed across the sky, what looked like three blocks away from them. It was like a damned flash grenade and it blinded them for a few precious seconds.

"Another quirk?" Ochako yelped in alarm, staggering forward with a hand on Kirishima's shoulder.

"Shit," Bakugou said into the comms, as he blindly careened through a window of the same building that the villains were currently trying to take down.

"Fuck," her and Eijirou said at the same time.

"You okay, Katsuki?" she inquired hurriedly, her vision returning with bright imprints that weren't at all helping matters.

"That's Ground Zero," he grunted back, followed immediately by a long groan of pain, "and m'fine." He paused for a moment, and then barked as if to somebody else, "oi! The hell you doin'—?" There was an explosion inside the building, blowing through the glass on the same floor he'd been flung into and raining down shards below. Thick smoke followed shortly after, black and ominous. After that, Katsuki's comms were uncharacteristically quiet.

"Shit," they all said collectively, just as Kirishima and Ochako made it to Todoroki's wall of ice. She grit her teeth and tapped it with all five of her fingers, reminding herself to stay calm because Bakugou could take care of himself. She watched the ice crack and break away from the ground while biting back her worry to focus on the matter at hand. Once it was free of gravity and was floating to the sky, she tapped Kirishima too. He yelped, not expecting to become weightless, and she used that moment to activate her quirk on herself and kick off the side of a building. She began to careen forward, a straight shot towards Kirishima's back and the building. The integrity of it's stability was becoming shakier with ever second that passed, and the flying debris wasn't helping things. Kirishima grunted as she hid behind his back and he took the brunt of all the flying cement and earth that they were soaring through like they'd been shot from a catapult.

"Now, Deku!" Ochako yelled, pressing her fingers together and releasing her quirk both on herself and Kirishima as they cleared the jackhammer villain's blast radius, and made sure to be out of Deku's oncoming attack. She and Kirishima crashed to the ground, rolling to lesson some of the impact.

There was another flash of blinding light, but Deku had already initiated his attack—thank god. Ochako heard the tell-tale omen of crackling ice—the brunt force Deku released on it made it sound like rolling thunder. The next instant, what felt like a blizzard breezed rushed through her hair. She breathed out, and her exhalation immediately froze to her eyelashes. She regained her vision in time to watch a meteor shower of ice rain down onto the jackhammer villain, effectively taking him out.

Powdery snow flew into the air like a cloud of smoke, and once it had settled Ochako could finally make out the villain that was attacking the building. Just as Bakugou had predicted, she had turned her attention onto Ochako. She jumped out of the way of an energy blast, trusting that Kirishima had done the same.

"I'm going after whoever the hell has that flash quirk," Deku informed them. "You guys good?"

"We're fine," Todoroki replied, throwing a blast of fire at the villain attacking Ochako as he slid closer on a trail of ice. He nodded towards the building, indicating for her to keep her focus there. Ochako nodded back, backing away from the villain and allowing Todoroki to take it from there. She slunk around them, heading towards the building that was beginning to rumble worryingly.

Planting her feet at the same time the building began to topple, she brought a hand above her hand and waited for gravity to guide it to her. As the sleek metal of the building's exterior made contact with her fingers, it's gravity was negated instantly. Instead of a messy crash, it floated serenely through the air.

The villain's were apprehended quickly thereafter. Katsuki had already started an evacuation plan before Deku had even sent the ice and the jackhammer villain to hell. Ochako rounded the perimeter to offer help, to which he scoffed before chucking a businessman towards her from the fourth story. She tapped the alarmed man before he could hit the ground, rolling her eyes. More heroes showed up to the scene, equipped with a safety bed that the civilians could jump onto to speed up the evacuation process.

By the time the evacuation was over and she finally released her quirk, she was tired as hell and ready for a hot bath.

"Oi!" a familiar bark sounded from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and there was Katsuki stomping over to her with murder in his eyes. He was covered in soot from head to toe except for where he must have wiped at the sweat pooling down his face, and there was blood dripping down the side of his head. Ochako was torn—she couldn't decide if she should be worried over his battle wounds, or upset with his tone of voice.

"What the _fuck_ was that, Ochako?" he bit out harshly, gesturing towards the building.

Ochako scoffed, "I caught the building, _Katsuki_."

"Not what I'm fucking talking about," he growled, getting up in her space and _glaring_ at her.

Ochako sighed as she back away, not in the mood to fight with Katsuki. "Then elaborate, _babe_ , because I'm not _sure_ I know what you're talking about."

"I'm _talking_ about how you tossed all your teammates to the side like pieces of shit," Katsuki barked, eyes on fire. "You didn't even _want_ to listen to anything that wasn't your fuckin' plan. What kinda shit's in your head that's got you looking down on us, huh?"

"Looking _down_ —?" Ochako shot back, her anger spiking. "I wasn't looking down on any of you—!"

"Really?" he drawled, his voice poisonous and bitter, "then why don't you go ahead and ask Shitty Hair how he felt about you snuffing him?"

Kirishima, who'd obviously been listening nearby—at this point the two of them were nearly shouting, and she couldn't really blame the onlookers from snooping—raised his hands in defense, and said sheepishly, "hey, man. You don't have to—"

"Tell her, Kirishima!" Bakugou barked at him.

Ochako turned to the redhead with a raised eyebrow, stubbornly awaiting his response despite the spike of guilt she was already feeling.

Kirishima's gaze shifted between her and Bakugou before he sighed and sent her an apologetic look. "I _could_ have handled that villain, Uraraka," he said, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort. "I wasn't gonna say anything," he shot Bakugou a pointed look, "but it didn't really feel like you had all that much confidence in me."

Ochako bit her lip, averting her eyes in shame.

"M'sorry," she said quietly, "that's not what I was trying to imply at all."

"Tell me what the fuck you were trying to do then, cheeks?" Bakugou growled, tiny explosions crackling at his palms. "Because he's not the only one you turned up your nose at!"

"Bakugou, bro," Kirishima tiptoed forward like he was stepping on eggshells, "she said sorry. Let's leave it at that."

"Tch—" Bakugou eyed her up, one-hundred percent still livid. Ochako glared back, a weird mix of guilt and pride fighting one another inside of her ribcage. "Fine." Katsuki said shortly, shouldering through her roughly, "but don't go pulling this shit again, Ochako. You're fuckin' better than that."

Ochako watched his back as he left, really wishing that _she_ was the one with the explosion quirk so that she could let off some steam.

She walked away from Kirishima without another word.

She stayed at her own apartment that night, despite the only thing of hers that was there filling the space being her bed. She kept being tagged on her social media outlets to several different articles congratulating her success today. Eventually, she turned her notifications off and fell asleep with a horrible pit in her stomach.

* * *

"This is probably the worst fight we've ever had," Ochako told Tsuyu the next morning, in tears and slumped against the empty walls of her apartment while her best friend listened patiently on the other end of the phone, "he's never been that level of mad at me— _ever_. Even back at U.A."

Asui hummed. "Why not just explain yourself, Ochako-chan?"

"God, Tsuyu," Ochako sobbed, "because he was _right_. What the hell can I even explain—he can read me like a fucking book."

"So then apologize?"

"He hasn't sent me a single message since yesterday!" Ochako countered pitifully. "He needs to cool off right now just as much as I do."

"And then you'll apologize?" Tsuyu pressed. There was silence as Ochako pondered over her question. Then, a sigh. "For someone so strong, you can be kind of dense sometimes."

"Huh?" Ochako sputtered, wiping at the tears running down her face.

"You're making this a bigger deal than it actually is," her best friend affirmed. "If you need to cool off, then do it. But don't run away from this because you don't want to face whatever reality he's brought to your attention. You wanted my advice, Ochako?"

"Mhm," Ochako whimpered.

"Get off your ass and face him. Now."

"H-he's on patrol right now—"

"Then tonight," Tsuyu amended, "but don't put it off."

Ochako sniffled, "fine. Okay. I'll…talk to him."

"Because you love him."

Ochako laughed, wiping at the snot dripping down her nose, "yeah."

* * *

Ochako was in the elevator heading up to Katsuki's apartment that evening, fluttering nerves in her stomach as she glared down at her phone.

 _Trouble in Paradise?_ read the online article. Underneath the headline, there were pictures of her and Katsuki's little spat on the battle grounds. Ochako got three sentence into the damned thing, before scrolling back to the pictures and scowling down at her own face.

The dull headache she had from her crying episode was on the cusp of becoming a fully fledged migraine with this shit.

She had twenty-three missed calls from her PR rep, and about forty-six texts from him when she finally decided that the media outlets knew _nothing_ about her and Katsuki. Even if they did, they still would find a way to twist it into something ridiculous. No matter what her and Okomoto did to affirm that, _yes,_ she and Katsuki were like any other couple and that, _yes_ , they occasionally got mad at each other and that, _no_ , that didn't mean that their relationship was hanging by a thread—no matter what they could do to appease the journalists and the gossip columns, none of this was going to stop.

Ochako has worried over her image since she first started out as a hero—but that stopped today.

Her phone dinged, and she exited out of the article to click on the new message.

 **Okomoto-kun (6:34 p.m.)**

 _How can I help you, Uraraka-san?_

Ochako smiled weakly, her finger pads pressing at the buttons quickly.

 **Ochako (6:34 p.m.)**

 _I'm sorry, Okomoto-kun! I don't want you to worry, but let's leave this until tomorrow._

 **Ochako (6:34 p.m.)**

 _Is that okay?_

 **Okomoto-kun (6:34 p.m.)**

 _Of course! Please don't do anything stupid in the meantime!_

 **Ochako (6:34 p.m.)**

 _:P_

The elevator dinged just as she was slipping her phone into her back pocket, and the metal doors slid open to a surprising sight.

Katsuki stood on the other side of the elevator with his mouth hanging open; he was covered in dirt and ash like he hadn't bothered with a shower after getting home from patrol and his eyes were glimmering like he was shocked to see her there.

The strangest part of it all was the bouquet of roses and sunflowers in his hand.

They continued to stare until the elevator doors automatically began to shut themselves. Ochako, feeling completely out of her element, threw her arm out to stop it.

"Katsuki," she murmured softly, stepping forward until she was awkwardly standing half in and half out of the elevator.

He cleared his throat. "Angel."

He thrust the flowers towards her, holding them out without a word and an expectant glint in his red eyes. Her heart floated up serenely from the pit it had been in all day. Their fingers brushed as she accepted the flowers from his calloused hands, and she could feel the sudden prick of tears at the edges of her eyes.

" _So_ cheesy," she told him, bringing the flowers to her nose and inhaling deeply. "No one would believe me if I told them how romantic you can be."

"You deserve it," he murmured, offering her his hand which she accepted readily as if his touch was a cold glass of water on a hot summer's day. "And I don't want you to feel like you're not welcome here when you just fuckin' moved in." He squeezed her hand as he lead her back down the hallway towards their apartment. "I'll take the couch next time we have a fight, got it?"

"Got it," she said with a smile, not wanting to protest right now even though she had really been the one mostly at fault. She allowed him to pull her through their apartment door and into the living room happily as she fought back tears of happiness. They gravitated towards the couch, Ochako leaving the bouquet on the coffee table as they passed by. Katsuki fell into the couch cushions, patting his thighs in invitation. Ochako accepted that invitation easily, sliding into his lap with her legs on either side of his—she towered over him like this, but it was exactly the kind of connection she craved from him.

"I really am sorry about yesterday," she murmured, leaning back to look him in the eyes more easily.

Katsuki's hands began to wander, making their start by cupping her elbows and then sliding up her arms to her shoulders before making their way back down again. Ochako shivered, but continued on in determination.

"Ever since high school, I've been fighting the temptation to just lean on others," she said, trying her hardest to ignore how Katsuki was now tracing her collarbone. "I don't mean to, but now I try to put everything on my shoulders like I'm scared of falling back into that pattern—which is so hypocritical when I'm always telling you to stop facing the world by yourself." She sighed. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I was looking down on you, and I'm sorry." There was more to it that that, but they were both aware of those other circumstances—Ochako was sick of people not recognizing what she was already doing, so she tried to take on more and more just to get the kind of recognition that other heroes got more easily. But those reasons didn't really need to be spoken—not right now at least. "I didn't mean to make any of you feel like that."

Katsuki hummed, one hand sliding up her neck to cup the back of her head. The other hand continued its journey in the opposite direction, tracing down her arm again and migrating to her thigh.

"You learned from it, right?" Katsuki asked, leaning forward to press a kiss to her collarbone. Before she could answer, he moved on—because he was Katsuki and he really could read her like a book. He already knew the answer to his question. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Ochako snorted, feeling warm, "perhaps not. But I don't really blame you."

He shook his head, his hair brushing against her chin pleasantly.

"We both did shit," Katsuki continued, "and you're not the only one who needs to own up to it."

Ochako brought her hands to his hair and began to weave her fingers through his ash blonde spikes.

"You're amazing, Katsuki," she said before pressing a kiss to the top of his head, "so good to me."

He pulled back, and she was happy to see that his usual smirk had made a return to his handsome features.

"Right back atcha, angel face." His hand journeyed south to meet his other one underneath her ass, and she squeaked when he gave it a hearty squeeze.

"I need like five glasses of water if we're going to have sex," Ochako whined.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, "you're shit at keeping yourself hydrated. How about I just grab you some water and an ibuprofen, we watch a movie now, and save the sex until tomorrow morning?" He pinched her butt, drawing another squeak from her.

"Can we make out during the movie?" she inquired seriously.

"Whatever you want, juicy fruit," Katsuki affirmed.

"Maybe even get a little handsy?"

"I'm handsy with you right now," he deadpanned, sliding his hands around to the inside of her thighs.

"Shouldn't you take a shower first?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

Bakugou pushed her off his lap, causing her to fall into the empty space of the couch. "So many damned demands," he growled half-heartedly, stomping towards the kitchen and filling up a glass of water for her. He came back to the couch and placed the water and two ibuprofen pills onto the coffee table before marching towards the bathroom and stripping as he went. He didn't even bother closing the door, and a moment later Ochako could hear the spray of the shower.

She smiled, taking the pills and gulping them down.

Katsuki truly did make her feel like she ruled the world—in so many aspects of her life. For someone so brash and explosive, he treated her exactly how she wanted to be treated. Her admiration for him was staggering, and she knew that there was a lot for her to learn from the explosive hero who was also her boyfriend. Who loved her. And he learned from her too. Her high school self had no idea what a perfect match they were for each other—but she's so fucking grateful she's found him.

"Babe," she yelled, loud enough for her to be heard over the spray of water.

"Yeah?" he yelled back.

"Love you."

She could imagine him rolling his eyes fondly when he called back, "love you too, cheek


End file.
